THE PLOT
The Enterprise is orbiting a planet, and the landing party - headed by Sulu and Scotty - is overdue. When Crewman Jackson finally checks in, and is beamed up, what materializes is his dead body... and a message, warning Captain Kirk to leave orbit immediately.
Of course, Kirk does nothing of the kind. He leads a second party, consisting of himself, Spock, and McCoy, to the planet. Here, they encounter three witches, a black cat of variable size, and a forbidding castle presided over by a witch and a warlock, starved for sensation. Their powers are vast - vast enough to reduce Scott and Sulu into mindless zombies, and to strike against the Enterprise with sudden, horrifying force!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Kirk: With members of his command crew in jeopardy, Kirk insists on beaming down to the planet personally. He refuses to be warned off or scared off. When Sylvia tries to tempt him away from his duty, Kirk plays along just long enough to gain answers to the mysteries surrounding him. But he is too much devoted to duty to seriously think about giving in, and ends up using Sylvia's powers against her.
Spock: This is not the best characterization of Spock. I enjoy Spock's touches of humor, when they are sufficiently buried beneath his exterior impassivity. The break between seasons may have shaken Nimoy out of character slightly, or Robert Bloch's script may just not have captured the character quite right. Either way, Spock seems a little too jovial here. It's not a bad performance; it just doesn't quite seem to be... Well, Spock.
Chekov: This episode introduces a new regular to the series, in the form of Walter Koenig's Pavel Chekov. He gets very little to do in his premiere episode. Still, a few character bits do exist, notably his irritation with acting commander DeSalle (Michael Barrier) looking a bit too closely over his shoulder. "I'm not that green, sir," he snaps, when DeSalle takes a bit too much care to walk Chekov through something routine.
Villain of the Week: Antoinette Bower is Sylvia, an alien who has taken human form to prepare the way for an invasion. Her species' technology has given her enormous power, which she uses in an increasingly irresponsible manner, almost like a teenager giddy at the first flush of real power. Her companion, Korub (a nicely restrained Theo Marcuse), acts almost as a disapproving elder relative, trying to restrain her wildness and failing.
ZAP THE REDSHIRT!
Redshirt count: one. When the original landing party consisted of Scotty, Sulu, and "Crewman Jackson," was there any doubt what the fate of Crewman Jackson would be?
THOUGHTS
In my Season One reviews, there were occasions in which I recalled how episodes that did not appeal to me as a child suddenly have far more merit viewed from an adult's perspective.
Catspaw is unfortunately a case of the opposite. I loved this episode as a child. The spooky trappings, straight out of a Vincent Price movie, made it wonderful fun for my 10-year-old self. A quarter of a century later, I'm afraid the episode left me cold. The castle, the dungeon... It all just seems a bit too clean, a bit too well-lit, and a bit too obviously a collection of redressed studio stages to convey much atmosphere. Meanwhile, the actual plot is too anemic and lacking in any sense of danger to make up for the bland atmosphere. It isn't a bad episode, per se. It just isn't a good one, representing a comedown even from Operation: Annihilate! Let alone the really good episodes of Season One.
I think the break between seasons has taken a slight toll on the regulars. Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley don't fall back into their roles as easily as I might have liked. Shatner tends to oversell a lot of his line deliveries, while Nimoy just isn't quite "Spock" here. DeForest Kelley is quite fine in his scenes, but he hasn't yet recaptured the easy chemistry he had with his co-stars. On the whole, the network made a very wise decision waiting until later in the season to broadcast it. Yes, it was aired later to tie in with Halloween... but even without the holiday, this episode would not have provided the second season with a "best foot forward."
I loved it as a kid. But sometimes, what is loved as a kid is best left to childhood.
Rating: 4/10.
Previous Episode: Operation - Annihilate!
Next Episode: Metamorphosis
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